The Best Advice My Mentor Gave Me
I used to meet with my mentor, who was my former boss before I went freelance, once a month to dissect my business plan, evaluate my pricing, and brainstorm how to create additional streams of revenue. Through her mentorship, my business grew and I even became a better boss myself, although I will admit it’s not my favorite role, so I stopped accepting interns for now. She taught me everything from how to write a stronger email pitch to the best conversation starters for when I meet celebrities, but there’s one piece of advice in particular that has really stuck with me.
A bunch of years back, I went to an event hosted by my absolute favorite blogger icon. I was excited to meet her IRL, but I am no fan girl, so I kept the conversation pretty chill as I asked her various questions about the then up and coming blogging industry. Mid sentence, this blogger icon of mine looked at me, took my arm, and said, “I just love it when my fans come out.” It was so uncomfortable, and I just stood there feeling pretty small. I think I responded with something along the lines of, “Okay, cool,” then immediately wrapped up the conversation, and walked away.
When I recounted the story to my mentor the following day, she told me, “Esther, remember what she said and how she made you feel because one day, people will be coming up to you and this way, you’ll have a framework for how you want to respond.” She then had me think about all the different interactions I’ve had with celebrities and industry members over the years and write down what made the encounter memorable or negative and what I would have changed.
Well, she was right. People do approach me now (or scream my name from their car windows lol) and I always know exactly what to say. I’ve even managed to turn a bunch of fans into friends because at the end of the day, I’m just a girl who started a blog 10 years ago because I wanted to get invited to NYFW, and I’m never too good to introduce myself. Yep, even to the people who already know my name.
x Esther
